


Wine and Chocolate

by silverwolf_fox



Category: One Piece
Genre: Chocolate, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Romantic Fluff, Short & Sweet, Valentine's Day, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29414061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverwolf_fox/pseuds/silverwolf_fox
Summary: Perona gets frustrated while trying to make chocolate, and Mihawk shows her how much he cares.
Relationships: Dracule Mihawk/Perona
Comments: 10
Kudos: 24





	Wine and Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> I so rarely ram out an entire oneshot in a single day, but I wanted something to celebrate Valentine's Day (even if it's never actually mentioned in the fic). Please enjoy!

Perona furiously wiped at her eyes, using her arm to avoid the streaks of cacao powder on her hands. Everything was ruined! The counters were littered with dirtied bowls and utensils with more than a few drops of oil and attempted chocolates on the surfaces themselves.

Between her screwups at mixing the ingredients and flat out burning two separate batches - which happened to be the only ones that didn't make her want to barf at a single taste - the kitchen was an absolute war zone. It took hours for her to finally complete a batch that actually tasted good, but after she dolloped them onto a baking sheet to chill, they were messy lumps that didn't look cute at all!

And she knew -  _ she knew! _ \- that he wouldn't care. Of course he wouldn't. No doubt he would break off a piece and thank her for it, followed by a brutally honest opinion about them, but even if he hated it, he'd still appreciate the effort she went to.

Looking over the mess she'd created and the multiple failures, however, it was hard to remember that, and in a fit of frustration, Perona threw her mixing spoon with a shout only for it to knock against one of the bowls and send it's oily powdered contents to the floor. Because of course that's what happened. She dropped to the ground, carelessly landing in the mess, to sit against the counter and bury her face into her knees to muffle her cries.

That was how Mihawk found her soon after, drawn with concern due to her yelling. It took only an instant for his sharp eyes to take in the state of his kitchen and deduce the situation. He could see her shoulders tense when she heard him enter, but the embarrassment she felt couldn't rein in her hiccupped sobs. When he crouched beside her, Perona tentatively glanced up at him, all red eyes and a puffy face. She sniffled and suddenly moved to stand up, turning away from him to try and hide the tears she knew he'd already seen.

"I'll, um," she rasped before clearing her throat, "I'll clean this up."

Mihawk grabbed her shoulder and gently shifted her to face him. She tilted her head down to hide behind her bangs, but he cupped her cheek, stroking the soft skin with his thumb. "Go have a bath. I'll take care of this."

Her lips quivered, but for once she didn't have the strength to argue and nodded, untying her apron. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before guiding her out of the kitchen, watching to make sure she headed towards their bedroom. Not that she had any interest in going anywhere else. Now that she was up and moving, Perona could feel the food clinging to her skin and soaking into her dress after she allowed herself to sit in it, and with the tightness in her chest from earlier, a bath was the only thing she wanted to do.

By the time her hour long soak was finished, Perona could admit that she felt a lot better. To improve her mood further, she put on one of her nicer dresses; it was maroon with a sweetheart neckline and layers of high-low petticoats that danced around her legs as she walked. Styling her many pink curls and topping off the look with a wide brim hat inspired by Mihawk's own, though with a dark red plume, she finally felt brave enough to show her face again.

To her amazement, though she probably shouldn't have actually been surprised, the kitchen was spotless with no trace of her earlier efforts. It was a hollow relief. Taking a deep breath, she left, heading off to search for her wayward lover, and her breath caught in her throat when she found him in the dining room.

Standing by the head of the table, having no doubt sensed her approaching, he held out a violet rose that appeared almost black. Perona was at a loss for words as she accepted the flower they'd been cultivating in the garden together. A simple dinner had been prepared with glasses of red wine, but she gasped when she saw the extra plate of chocolates.

"You made chocolate?" she asked in disbelief. Not that she didn't think he was capable - the man was annoyingly skilled at everything he seemed to do - but she wouldn’t have expected him to bother. 

"No," he said flatly. "Those are of your efforts. I simply made them... _ cute _ for you."

Perona picked up one of the pieces and it was unrecognizable from the messy lumps she'd made. It and all the others had been smoothed and carved into tiny flowers and hearts. She was right that he had little to no opinion on the cuteness of something, but he knew that she did. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she took a small bite of the chocolate rose.

A smile pulled at her lips, and she sniffled.

It was disgustingly bitter.

As if knowing her thoughts, Mihawk handed her one of the wine glasses and toasted it with his own. Overcome with the whiplash her emotions had been going through, she couldn't help but laugh. Perona washed away the taste of the dessert with a sip of merlot, then she stood up onto her toes and fluttered her eyes at Mihawk, signaling him to lean down for a kiss. It was sweet and loving, and she smiled against his lips when she recognized the taste of the bitter chocolate on his tongue.


End file.
